CHARITY
AWARD WINNING DUO FOLLOW IN FAMILY FOOTSTEPS
Thin Blue Paw Foundation honours Greater Manchester Police PC Andy Kenyon and his search dog Eddie
Photo – Thin Blue Paw Foundation
“The call for assistance went out and fortunately I was nearby. My colleague had come face to face with two men breaking into a bookie. He’d arrived a few moments before me and I could see he was being threatened by one of the men who was armed with a crowbar. We’re trained for situations like this and as the man saw my police dog ‘Eddie’ he tried to escape but was unsuccessful. He was arrested a little further down the street,” recalled PC Andy Kenyon. PC Kenyon of Greater Manchester
Police (GMP) knew he wanted to work with animals from a young age. To be more specific, he knew he wanted to work as a dog-handler for the police, a career path that his father had followed before him. The recruitment freeze in 2010 meant
48 | POLICE | APRIL | 2024
Andy’s professional journey started as a PE teacher but as soon as GMP put the call out for more officers, he was ready with his application. He told POLICE it’s a decision he doesn’t have any regrets
“I know that the work I do makes a difference. We’re very good at getting
results whether in searches, public order or as backup for jobs that come in.”
about whatsoever. “I always knew policing was for me
and I always knew that I wanted to work as part of the Tactical Dog Unit (TDU) too. After working for four years as part of the response team, I felt that I had enough working examples to back up an
application to the TDU and I was delighted to hear that I’d been successful. As part of the TDU team, I look after and work alongside two police dogs, Eddie and Holly. It’s pretty full-on as they come home with me at the end of each shift which surprises some people. Even though I look after them all the time, their outdoor kennelling, food and vet bills are all covered by GMP,” Andy continued. Eddie specialises in search and response while Holly is
specifically trained to find explosives and component parts of explosive devices. Andy enjoys the variety of his work
as a police officer, especially now as a member of the TDU. He said that despite increasing difficulties, he recognises the extra responsibilities he carries as he
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
